Kinston, June 18—Dr. C. Banks McNairy, su0perintendent of the Caswell Training School here the past 11 years, will step down tomorrow morning. With him will go Dr. William A. Newbold, his assistant, it is reported. A new superintendent is expected to be formally elected and inducted at a meeting of the trustees tomorrow. It is understood that Dr. G.G. Dixon of Ayden will be chosen by the board.
The resignation of Drs. McNairy and Newbold were tendered last night, it was revealed this afternoon. The Free Press, local evening newspaper, said Luther P. Tapp of Kinston and Dr. W.W. Dawson of Grifton, trustees, called at the school and asked for the resignations.
Chairman Tapp earlier in the day declined to make a statement.
McNairy’s Comment Brief
McNairy’s only comment was the following statement: “My study of the mentally defective and the reasons behind human action forbid me to say anything further than that my enemies have left nothing unturned and have done their job well. I can only invoke the Savior’s prayer, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” There was no explanation of the first sentence of the statement.
Reports say there had been friction all the time for years. The Free Press editorially alluded to information that there had been “lack of harmony between McNairy and Newbold almost since the latter’s employment three years ago. An acquaintance today said Newbold had never sought the superintendent’s job, however.
Local interest is keen in the situation. Dr. McNairy is popular. He is known to thousands of townspeople. He is a past president of the America Association of the Feeble-minded and member of the national committee on mental hygiene. He will, it is understood, return to the practice of medicine at an upstate point. Dr. Newbold is a well known psychiatrist, formerly located in New Jersey.
The school for the feeble minded is reported to be facing a deficit of 450,000 or more. Chairman Tapp as stated that economy must be exercised in the administration. Several months ago it was brought to light that “cards, baby nipples and ice cream were being purchased for the institution but Dr. McNairy made rejoinder that the cards were for the index files, the nipples for more than a score of infants in the school and the ice cream for an occasional “treat” for the inmates because he did not believe the state would be so parsimonious as to deny the luxuries normal children are used to.
From page 4 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, June 20, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-06-20/ed-1/seq-4/
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